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Topic: State bills rescued hiker $7k (Read 1607 times)

Crazy T may remember this, but in the late eighties / early ninetys, we were climbing at Dickey and I was moaning so bad on a hard slab route that a hiker on the Welch-Dickey trail above, but couldn't see me below, ran and called for a rescue. The fireman came and everything with their rubber boots and coats. They threatened us pretty good until Jay who was quite hairy and scary at the time set them straight. Still funny now.

That crew showed up with laid ropes and linesman boots. I remember thinking that if someone was just hurt their life would be at risk getting rescued by that crew. Sans anchors, they were prepared to manually haul someone up the cliff. LOL I remember Dgoguen having a purple jacket and one of the rescuers yelling "is there someone with a purple jacket needing a rescue". Dave's jacket was reversible and they never found the guy in the purple jacket.

My brother's wife was in a bouldering comp down here a couple of years ago and took a bad fall and hurt her lower back. The EMT (about 18 maybe) who showed up called in the life-flight helicopter. Fortunately, it was occupied, and a more experienced EMT showed up and called it off. If it had come she would have had to pay for the whole thing....

Once you call 911 you will do as you are told, and then pay for it.

I walked out of Huntington's to Pinkham on a broken ankle in the dark in winter, but that was pre-cell phones and who knows what I would do today.

My brother's wife was in a bouldering comp down here a couple of years ago and took a bad fall and hurt her lower back. The EMT (about 18 maybe) who showed up called in the life-flight helicopter. Fortunately, it was occupied, and a more experienced EMT showed up and called it off. If it had come she would have had to pay for the whole thing....

That flight would have cost C&L much more than $7k!

I should try to fnd out the cost of the rescue Eric and I were involved in back in 2010. That one invloved a justifiable 15/20-minute med-heli ride.

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"You have to decide to do a flag, where you can broke your vertebrae or a barn door depending of your pro" - the poster formerly known as Champ

Now this is a little different than NH. First background on the area. It's in the city limits of Anchorage (300,000 population), its the first peak just south of the city with homes creeping up the west face, a highway that wraps around the south, an inlet to the south, and no real development south, east and north and regularly has winds that can exceed 100mph . It has several established trails, but above tree line not much. It's big bear country and big country by lower 48 standards, but in Ak it's a very urban peak, probably in the top 10 of most climbed peaks in Ak (which means nothing, 5-7 people on a busy weekend).

I like this article for the simple statement that Ak PJ's fully believe in, and what all states and first responders should believe:

"We don't want people not calling us," she said. "We err on the side of caution, because we don't want cries for help to go unanswered and then disaster strikes. Our goal is public safety."

Fish and Game is a career. Starts at about forty a year and goes to sixty if you get some promotions, and it has a fat retirement plan. Going out at night is part of the job description, and I'm pretty sure while the hours vary, you don't have to show up at eight am if you went out all night. Realistically it seems hard to imagine twelve guys could not locate a woman with a cellphone under the circumstances. Not many of us get to charge if we don't produce results. Low comedy at best.

The hard part here is Fish and Game overreacts at times. She was rescued by a team that is not paid so I have no idea how they could justify asking her to pay. We'll see sometime that this dumb idea of making people pay for their (NH) rescue will cause someone to die: it's just not right.

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Ed Matt" I release my attention: because of you now I am in danger!!! " -Champ

DGoguen

I remember Dgoguen having a purple jacket and one of the rescuers yelling "is there someone with a purple jacket needing a rescue". Dave's jacket was reversible and they never found the guy in the purple jacket.

The official asked me, have you seen a guy with a purple jacket. I said no man but good luck, as I'm standing there with my jacket inside out. Ha

This billing thing is essentially a fight between the state legislature and Fish and game over funding. Fish and Game is trying to force their hand for more funding. It's political, but this woman is caught in the middle.

I remember Dgoguen having a purple jacket and one of the rescuers yelling "is there someone with a purple jacket needing a rescue". Dave's jacket was reversible and they never found the guy in the purple jacket.

The official asked me, have you seen a guy with a purple jacket. I said no man but good luck, as I'm standing there with my jacket inside out. Ha

This billing thing is essentially a fight between the state legislature and Fish and game over funding. Fish and Game is trying to force their hand for more funding. It's political, but this woman is caught in the middle.

Nice gotta love this place... or is it the humans you just cant help but love.

Everyone and their personal agenda and having to be right or have their way all the time. And every year that goes by those in charge of this shit show have a smaller and smaller and smaller collective IQ as they have been raised up by the Entitled generation and its me first mentality. Ok so maybe it has nothing to do with IQ but it does have to do with entitlement, personal agenda and those that get to be in charge being a piss poor representation of the general public in most cases.

WRONG! You always have the right to refuse care! If you refuse and they do anything, its assault. Ambulance drivers have a nice little form just for that as well as hospitals having discharges "agains medical advice." Unless, you are in an altered mental state or a minor with no adult, and then consent is implied. One of the first rules of medicine and emergency care is consent. They also don't bill unless services are rendered. So, be careful b/c that bandaid and ice pack may be really expensive. It would also be interesting to see the price breakdown. I didn't read the article too much, but know that those numbers can be a bit fixed. For instance, if 3 of 7 of the responder would be on duty anyways, is that accounted for? Sometimes not. Also, in the case of a helo rescue where an military chopper is utilized (not this case, I know), how is that calculated? Many times they are utilized since the pilots are up flying and burning fuel just to get their flight hours in and essentially cost nothing. I agree with accountability for rescues, but picking and choosing who to bill is a crock.